baby, won't you love me?
by wisecollectionbread
Summary: [coffeeshop AU] [cover art by viria] Cold and distant Annabeth. Friendly and bubbly Percy. Both with dark secrets in their pasts. Maybe with coffee and desserts they could finally get past their trauma.
1. Chapter 1

_Chapter 1_

Sunlight shone on the table Annabeth was sitting on. Her cup of coffee had almost gone cold. She barely took three sips of it in the last hour. These mornings before the coffee shop opened are supposed to be relaxing and usually they are. But today something was bothering Annabeth and she could barely focus on the numbers in front of her.

She could not pinpoint the source of her problem and that was more frustrating than anything else. A heavy sigh left her lips. No work would be done today. Just as she turned off her laptop a voice near her startled her. "Busy as a bee, heh Anna?" Piper's grin widened when she noticed Annabeth's startled expression.

"No Piper, I couldn't get any work done." Annabeth murmured. She took a sip of her cold coffee and blanched. "Something feels off today."

"I think you mean my hair." Piper shook her head. "I cut it last night with a pair of safety scissors." The way Piper cut her hair would have looked strange on anyone else but she manages to pull it off. That's because Piper is a gorgeous woman; every horrible fashion design she made would suit her.

"Did Leo help?" Annabeth took a strand of Piper's unevenly chopped hair. "It looks like something he'd do. Something a child would do."

Piper shot a glare at Annabeth. "I did it." She took Annabeth's cold cup of coffee. "Because I wanted to. Plus Leo is kind of amazing at cutting hair. Remember that time I broke up with Dylan?" Annabeth nodded. "Leo cut my hair after we both got drunk."

Annabeth decided to change the subject. "Where is Leo? His shift should start in half an hour." The morning was a pretty busy time; Annabeth required all hands on deck. Hazel just entered; her curls bouncing as she walked towards them.

"Good morning Annabeth, Piper." Hazel smiled at them. She was the youngest of them all. She finished high school just five months ago. Annabeth felt extremely responsible for Hazel, even though she was an adult by all means. She felt like she was an older sister of both Piper and Hazel.

Annabeth nodded her head to the younger girl while Piper chirped 'good morning'. Leo should come soon, otherwise they would be swamped. "Hazel go and check if Frank is ready to put the desserts out." Annabeth motioned towards the back.

Hazel's face turned a delightful shade of crimson as she rushed to the back. "Ah, young love." Piper sighed dreamily.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Call Leo and tell him that if he's late he'll have to close up the shop for the next two months."

"Yes boss," Piper took out her phone. Knowing Valdez, he was still working in the garage. He never told her what he was working on besides it being the 'Lady Magnet'.

Leo picked up just after it rang once. "Hey, Beauty Queen."

"Where are you? Shop's about to open in five minutes. If you're late Annabeth said you have to close up the shop for the next two months."

Leo cursed. "I'll be right there. It'll take me two minutes I swear." Piper heard something crashing before Leo hung up. There is no way he could make it in two minutes. Of course they lived close to the shop yet it took Piper ten minutes to walk home from this place. Leo is so screwed today.

Piper quickly went to the washroom in the back and wore her uniform. It was a coral button down shirt with a pair of black pants. Hazel already had her uniform on. She was arranging pastries and donuts on the display case.

Hazel always claimed to love the smell of freshly baked pastries and cakes. Of course it smelled heavenly but Piper knew there was another reason why Hazel always arranged the display case every morning. It was the pastry chef – Frank Zhang. Piper could tell Hazel had a crush on the young Canadian. And honestly, it was fun to watch them dance around each other awkwardly.

"Hey Hazel, did Frank make those butter tarts again?" Piper smacked her lips. Frank had made a huge batch of that just last week while trying to impress Hazel. Everyone but Hazel seemed to figure out that Frank made those for her.

It was sweet to see Hazel blush at the mention of those tarts. "N-no, he made them for his grandmother and those were ju-just the leftovers." Hazel stuttered.

"Sure he did." Piper muttered dryly.

As they prepared themselves a whirlwind went past. A whirlwind that looked a lot like Leo Valdez. He really made it. "Annabeth… Annabeth I'm so sorry." Leo huffed. "Completely forgot to look at the time." He could barely stand up straight. He must have run the entire way.

Annabeth smiled. "You'll arrive at your shift half an hour before it begins. You will also close down the shop for the next week."

"Tha-thanks Annabeth," Leo puffed with a hand on his waist. Annabeth got Leo a glass of water before hanging the open sign on the door.

The next two hours passed by in a blur. The morning hours were always the busiest. Almost all of the people came here on the morning to get their coffee fix before their class or work. Those aren't Annabeth's favorite customers. Her favorite customers are the little kids who come holding their parents' hand. They were bribed with something sugary and creamy by their parents. The kids always had a look of wonder pasted on their faces. The look of pure glee on their faces is unmatched.

That's one of the reasons why Annabeth continues to run this bakery. The other one is that it pays the bills. Maybe someday when she is brave enough she will go back to university and get her architect degree. Right now she's satisfied working at a bakery.

The rush hour goes on until it's ten. Afterwards there are just a couple of people typing away on their laptops. This is when Frank leaves. His classes at the university start at twelve. Frank comes two hours before the shop opens to work on the desserts. So usually he comes at 6:00 am. "Bye Annabeth," Frank waved at her. "See you tomorrow."

From Annabeth's place in front of the cash register she could see both Hazel and Frank blush as they talked to each other. Annabeth knew Frank before she opened this café. They used to go to the same high school. He always made the most delicious desserts. He was also desperately looking for a job so when Annabeth opened this place with her mother's money he was the first person she called.

Soon everyone besides herself and Piper had left. After the morning, the entire day went pretty slow until the evening. Then a slew of tired workers and students would drag themselves in the café. That went on until Annabeth closed the shop, around 10:00pm.

Piper left around the afternoon. But today that might not be the case. "Anna, I'll also take over the evening shift. Is that a problem?"

Annabeth looked at the Cherokee with eyebrows raised. "Are you sure you would be able to keep up to it?"

"Of course!" Piper chirped. "I used to be your only waitress back in the day. I did everything!"

There was another reason why Piper wanted to stay late at work on Wednesdays. Every Wednesday around five in the afternoon, a tall muscular blonde would come in. He would usually order a cappuccino and a slice of cheesecake. Then he would spend the entire afternoon smiling at her with scarred lips and twinkling blue eyes.

Piper knows she sounds like a creep but Jason has been coming here on the same day every week for almost two months. Piper would spend a bit of time talking to him every week but Annabeth did not like it when they chattered too much during work hours.

However Piper had to spend the entire afternoon waiting for Jason to show up. There wasn't a single Wednesday which he missed. She had even put on some eye shadow in the hopes that he will come. Piper sighed. There was no time to waste on a boy right now; she really needed to prepare for the next rush hour.

Just as her eyes left the door and went to focus on the display case a boy ran in. He had a head full of black hair. "Hey," he leaned on the counter. "You must be Piper right?"

Piper wasn't sure how to answer. Usually creepy stalkers don't just reveal themselves like this. But then again she couldn't trust anyone in this day and age. "I'm sorry, do you want to order anything?"

"YES!" The boy pointed at the case. "Give me one of those blue donuts in a doggy bag thanks! Wait, I'm getting out of track. I'm Percy." He extended a hand for Piper to shake. Piper took it hesitantly. "Jason sent me."

Realization dawned on Piper. "He has a terrible cold so he couldn't make it. Which is why he sent me here," Percy grumbled. He took out a crumpled piece of paper from his bag. "Look, this is his number – please call him tonight."

Piper glanced at the paper. "Thanks Percy." She quickly packed up the donut. "Don't worry it's on the house."

He told Piper that she needed to text Jason by tonight because Jason promised him something if she did. Percy wouldn't tell her even after a lot of badgering. Percy left the café with an apologetic grin while Piper had a huge smile on her face.

A soft tap on her shoulder brought her back from her daydreaming. Annabeth was standing behind her with a blank expression. "Whom did you give that free donut too?"

Piper recovered herself quickly. "Oh… no one."

"Don't give away free food to people. You know I'll cut it off from your paycheck." Annabeth frowned.

"I'm sorry." Piper hung her head, "It was Jason's friend – Percy. He gave me Jason's number."

Annabeth's frowned deepened. "Please try to be professional during work hours."

Piper's shoulders slouched as Annabeth left. Annabeth was mad at her. That was not a good sign. She would have to find some way to apologize to the blonde. But right now all she could do was think about Jason's number in her back pocket.

She needed something exciting from the monotonous life she had set herself into. Maybe Jason could be that something.

_A/N: this is my new take on something I posted here almost three years ago. However this would be vastly different and I hope I can finish this._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Percy shoved the donut in his mouth and chewed slowly. This might be the best donut he had in his entire life. This completely beats the blue donuts his mother used to bring. Percy glanced at the café behind him.

_'Annabeth's café.'_

Annabeth must be the owner of the café, Percy thought to himself. He definitely should come here again especially if all the other desserts are like this donut. He got out his phone and sent a quick text to Jason. 'Gave no. 2 piper.'

Jason and Percy have been best friends ever since Jason almost drowned in the pool. Percy was working as a swim coach in the pool that day and he couldn't fathom why an almost grown man couldn't swim. After Percy saved Jason's life he spent the next couple of hours ridiculing Jason and teaching him how to swim.

Turned out Jason could do almost everything but swim. Percy could do nothing but swim. It was easy to see why a friendship would bloom between them. That was almost three years ago. Since then they have moved in together.

Percy sighed. There was no reason his mind would drift to why he had to move in with Jason but here he was. He seemed to have a knack for bumming himself out. "There is no point in thinking about it." He reminded himself. It happened almost a year ago time to get over it. He commanded himself not to think about the past. There was nothing he could do about it right now.

As he got close to their apartment he heard coughing inside. Jason was having a rough time – he had to miss two days at the university. Percy knows Jason would freak out once he recovered from the cold. He really hoped Reyna helped Jason cover for his lost classes.

When he opened the door he saw Jason curled up on the couch, sniffling. Several piles of crumpled up tissue lay around him and an empty basket. "Man, I told you to put the tissues in the basket." Percy groaned.

"Couldn't reach it," Jason mumbled through coughing.

Jason had an empty bowl clasped in his hands. He certainly was not well enough to go make soup for himself and Percy was sure he did not make some before he left. "Is someone here?"

"Yes. Thalia's here." Jason handled the bowl to Percy. "She came just after you left."

Thalia was Jason's older sister and they looked nothing alike. While Jason was prim and perfect Thalia had all the rough edges. That was one of the reasons why Percy was fond of the girl. "Where is she right now?"

"Hey Perce!" Percy was soon tackled on by a dark blur. Speaking of the devil. "Long time no see, huh?" Thalia stood up straight dusting her dark leather jacket.

"Hey Thalia." Percy grimaced, still on the floor. Thalia gave him a hand as he got up. She hadn't changed that much since they were kids. Her electric blue eyes mirrored Jason's. But everything else about them was different. The only way one would know they were siblings was when Thalia would call Jason 'younger brother'.

"You haven't changed much at all," Thalia grinned. "Maybe you got a bit taller. And definitely hunkier," Thalia poked at Percy's arm.

"Keep your hands to yourself woman," Percy swatted away at her hands before taking a seat near Jason's foot.

Jason looked horrible. His nose was blotchy and runny. His eyes were glassy. And he was sneezing constantly. "Is the fever still there?" Percy asked, worry laced in his voice.

Jason coughed twice before answering. "It went down in the morning."

"You'll be okay in no time bud!" Percy exclaimed. Ever since they both moved in together they had to rely on each other. Thalia would swing by occasionally but Percy had no siblings who would come to see if he was doing okay. Percy had no family to speak off and a lot of the times it made him envious of the relationship Thalia and Jason shared.

Thalia treated him like a younger brother too. They went to the same high school even though Thalia showed up for like one class each week. It didn't matter though; Thalia was the one who gave him shelter when things got too tough at home.

"Do you guys want pizza?" Percy asked before his own thoughts consumed him.

They both nodded gleefully. Percy ordered two pizzas before he went to take a shower. He didn't want to eat some greasy, cheesy slices of pizza and ruin the taste of the donut in his mouth. They were almost as good as his mother's…

"Today is not a good day." He sighed. He kept thinking about his past and almost nothing could distract him.

On nights like this he would get so drunk that he couldn't walk straight. Then the next morning he would regret it again. But ever since he… left… that was the way he dealt. He would hit a bar right after they were done with dinner.

A small voice in his head told him that drinking was never the solution to a problem – a memory. Honestly, he couldn't care less. "Shut up," he mumbled. He stopped slathering shampoo on his unruly hair and put his head on the bathroom wall.

This voice haunted him every time he went to do something that wasn't right. Anger built up in his chest. It had no right to tell him what Percy should or shouldn't do. He let out a breath he was holding in. "Percy, calm down." That was what he told the students who were struggling to keep afloat in water.

Right now he certainly felt like he was struggling to stay afloat.

As he told himself to calm down over and over again – his anger subsided. Soon he got out of the shower. "Did the pizza arrive?" He yelled.

"Yes," Thalia yelled back.

If he was going to the bar later tonight – it couldn't hurt to start drinking now. He took out a beer from the fridge, "Thalia, Jason, any of you want one?" He pointed at the unopened beer in his hand.

They both shook their heads. "You heading to the bar tonight?" Jason asked as Percy sat on the floor in front of their table. Thalia seemed to have cleaned up the place while he was showering. All the used tissues were put in the bin that sat on the floor next to Jason's feet. The bowls were washed and sat neatly on the sink. All of Jason's medicine was put neatly beside the side table, besides a glass of water.

"Yeah," Jason knew about the occasions when Percy would go to the bar. He nodded sympathetically before turning to Thalia. Percy was glad Jason didn't grill him in front f Thalia.

"Thals, are you staying tonight?"

"Yeah if it's no problem with you two?" Thalia asked with a mouth full of pizza.

"Naw," Percy grinned at the girl. "You're a delight."

"That," Thalia swallowed and pointed a slice of pizza at him, "I know."

"You can take the couch," Jason had a smile on his face. "I'll make you a bed after dinner."

"There's no need for that. You're sick – I can make my own bed. I'm not four." Thalia glared at her younger brother. Percy fell silent as he watched them bicker with each other. He felt like an outsider. A huge part of him always wanted something like this – a family.

Of course both Thalia and Jason faced a lot of hardships to get back to each other. But they both wanted to try. He never had someone who tried to be his family, not since he was twelve.

After a while of mulling about all the lost relationships in his life, he decided it was time to stop. "Hey guys, I'll be heading out." Percy wiped his hands and mouth on a tissue and stood up. They barely paid him any mind.

Soon Percy was walking down the streets. It was barely eight. He wondered if the café where Piper worked was still open. If it was he could go get a donut or something else. Everything there looked delicious if he was being honest. In fact, the café was near the bar where Percy went to regularly. He could grab something to eat then head on there.

But honestly he couldn't stop the storms that were brewing in his head. So he quickly strode to the bar. The café wouldn't disappear overnight would it? Percy could always come back tomorrow or any time Jason went there.

He grinned at the thought of Jason and Piper. Jason hadn't looked so giddy over a girl ever since he dated that brunette. What was her name again? They barely went out for three weeks before Jason found out that she had another boyfriend. Percy still remembered how heartbroken Jason was. This won't end up like that, Percy reassured himself.

Piper looked very excited when he handed her Jason's number. Percy remembered feeling this excited when his crush agreed to go out with him. Those days belonged in the past though. Who would want to date someone as messed up as him anyway?

He really needed a drink.

It seemed like he couldn't stop thinking about how messed up his life had become.

The tiny nagging voice in his head came back just as he was about to head in the bar but he quickly shoved it aside. It was time to drown his sorrows.

Two hours later, he walked out of the bar. Usually Percy would spend some more time there but something stopped him. The usual bartender, Nico, was there and he would call Percy a cab if he couldn't walk straight. Even though each time Percy would insist that he could walk home.

Perhaps Percy decided to leave because Nico's half sister was throwing him pitying looks. He couldn't stand it when everyone pitied him. He left before he got too drunk and the bubble of anger in his chest burst out. This night was a total bust.

He wondered if he should go to some other bar or maybe he could buy a bottle of vodka and head home. None of those options sounded appealing to him. He should just go home and fall asleep. He could work on getting even drunker tomorrow.

Just as he thought this, he crashed into someone. They both tumbled towards the ground. "Shit." Percy muttered and quickly got up.

The girl who crashed into him was still on the ground. She had stormy grey eyes. She looked like she was always chilling on the beach. Percy quickly offered her a hand. "I'm so sorry."

The girl refused to take his hand. Instead she stood up on her own and glared at him. "What is your problem dude?" The girl glared. She had curly blonde hair that was tied up in a bun. A pencil was tucked neatly behind her ear. Percy retreated his hand and stuffed them in his pocket. "Don't you see where you're walking?"

She was beautiful, but man she was getting on his nerves. "I said I was sorry." Percy uttered through gritted teeth.

She quickly scooped up the papers that were sprawled on the ground. "These are all important, you know?"

Percy stared at the girl. She was acting as if he crashed into her on purpose. How was he supposed to now these papers would be important? "And I should care because…?" He drawled. Percy tried to be nice because it was his fault – but the girl could be nice about it.

"Look," she grumbled, she was stuffing the papers in her bag. "I don't care how you choose to waste your time but right now you're wasting mine." She pushed past him with a glare.

Percy stared after her. "My name is Percy!" He doesn't know why he yelled after the girl.

"I know!" She yelled back.

Percy furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. That was an interesting interaction.

_A/N: the last time i uploaded this chapter it was barely readable. EmmaBloomFan22 pointed it out._


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3_

Annabeth had a deep scowl on her face. Several postcards were scattered on the dining table. For some reason, Annabeth couldn't throw them away. Her father's smiling face taunted her. It seemed unfair that he got to be happy, that he got to go away while she was stuck.

She smoothed out the scowl on her face. There was no reason to get mad at her father right now. Leaving that anger behind was hard work but she did it. She needed to throw away those postcards.

She opened her fridge. Nothing but cold leftovers from two nights ago. She could definitely cook right now but her body ached. She threw in the leftover lasagna on the microwave oven and went to her bedroom. A glance of herself on the mirror told her exactly how horrible she looked.

Someone accidentally spilled coffee on her uniform. The stain would be so hard to get rid of. Her hair was a mess; half of it had slipped from the perfect bun she had on this morning. Her eyes were drooping, like she would fall asleep any minute. Her lips were cracked. Today was a long day.

Even though it was a regular day in the café something about today felt draining. That was probably why she was so rude to Percy Jackson. Of course another reason she was mad at him was because he crashed into her drunk and made her spill all of her papers. But usually she was more polite about handling such a thing.

And it didn't help that she snapped at Piper for absolutely no reason today. Maybe she just couldn't stand anyone else to be happy just because she was utterly miserable. Annabeth shook her head. That couldn't be the case. She sighed; nothing could be done by lamenting about this right now.

All she needed was to take a long hot shower, eat something and settle on the bed with a glass of wine and a good book. So she did all of that but somehow her mind kept drifting back to Percy Jackson. Why couldn't she read her book peacefully? Of course she had to keep thinking about the jackass who made a bad day worse.

But she should have accepted his apology. Just because her own day was horrible did not mean she had to ruin someone else's day too. "Tomorrow is another day," she told herself. That is something her mother always told her. She knew right now all her mother, Athena, would want for her is to be strong and stride forward.

Annabeth could picture what her mother would say about her right now. _"Why do you keep on regretting everything you do? Who cares what they think?" _But of course despite saying not to care what other people think, Athena would be very disappointed to know her own daughter ended up being a small business owner and not an architect.

Annabeth had managed to disappoint everyone in her life – but the one that stung the most was disappointing her mother. Even after all these years her looming figure still hung above her, criticizing her for all the small mistakes she made in her life.

Athena had turned into a bitter woman after her divorce with Annabeth's father. Even during Athena's last few days she had managed to spite on everything Annabeth did. That was one of the reasons why she took the money for her college that her mother saved up and used it to open a café.

She did it just to spite her mother. In the first couple of months it seemed like a horrible decision – she had no idea how to make coffee or run a business. There was almost no profit in the first three months. Then she hired Frank Zhang. He was desperately looking for a job and his desserts were heavenly.

Frank turned this place around. People would flood in just to eat his cakes and pastries. Annabeth slowly taught herself how to make coffee and after that it was all uphill. Obviously there were times when business was slow but nothing to be scared about.

Running her business was one of the few things Annabeth liked doing. Athena hated it. She never even stepped inside the café. She swore at Annabeth and promised to never see her own daughter's face. Yet Annabeth was the one who sat beside her on the bed as Athena lay dying.

A part of her regretted opening the café but a larger part of her was glad. Even though she was satisfied she just could not be happy.

The next day at work Annabeth knew she needed to apologize to Piper. She had been harsh to her. Annabeth had seen how smitten Piper was with this Jason. She would come in every Wednesday even if she desperately needed sleep.

"Hey Piper," Annabeth tapped Piper on the back. Despite Piper chopping her own hair she looked gorgeous. Her hair framed her face and her kaleidoscope eyes shone. "Hey boss," Piper grinned.

"Listen, I'm sorry about yesterday. I may have been a bit hard on you. You do great work here, you know that right?" Annabeth finished with a small smile. After a year of working together Piper knew Annabeth quite well so Piper just smiled. "Nothing to sweat about," Piper swiped at the table. The café would open in about an hour. No one was around yet – only Frank was working his magic in the kitchen. They were not equipped properly to handle the rush every morning. "Do you think we need to hire another person? Business is great and I feel like we're understaffed."

Annabeth pinched the bridge of her nose. "You know how much effort that requires right? We'll have to do interviews and then train them? It'll be like paying a baby for the first month or so."

Piper laughed. She remembered when Leo came in for an interview. Piper had to beg Annabeth to give him a chance and then again not to fire him. But now he was almost a model employee. Annabeth knows how understaffed they are but she didn't really want to expand this café. "Look how long have you been closing this place all by yourself?" Piper didn't wait for a respond. "Trust me we need someone new in this place."

Annabeth sighed. Of course she knew they needed to hire someone. They needed to hire someone for the last three months. She never wanted this café to grow this big. Actually Annabeth didn't know what she wanted. When she was decorating the place all she could do was think about how this would spite her mother. "Look, I'll interview them but you'll be the one responsible for training them."

Piper mumbled something under her breath. "What was that?" Annabeth asked.

"I always train the newbies." She dejectedly spoke.

"Do you remember when I had to train you?" Annabeth poked at her. "You could barely smile at the customers! You completely brought this on yourself."

"Can't I get Hazel or Leo to do it?" Piper groaned.

"You could…" Annabeth put a finger on her chin. "Get Hazel to do it. I don't want Leo around anyone new. Or anyone old," Annabeth muttered under her breath.

"Okay thanks Anna!" Piper cheered. "I'll hang the 'help wanted' sign when the place opens." There were always people sniffing to get a job here. It paid well and honestly the work wasn't as harrowing as it could be.

Annabeth watched as both Hazel and Leo entered the café. They both greeted her with soft smiles – the only person who was at comfort around her was Piper. She was the only person here who could come up to Annabeth and strike up a conversation. Annabeth had her mother's face; she barely smiled at anyone besides the customers.

Maybe that's what made her so unapproachable. Annabeth didn't care though; she really didn't want to make friends. Friends would mean people would butt in her life and ask her questions she didn't want to answer. Friends would also mean her mother would get a chance to snort derisively at another one of Annabeth's choices. Her mother was the reason she was wired differently.

Athena would probably be the reason why she ended up alone.

It was probably not the right thing to think about as the café opened.

Percy woke up with a sore headache. He wasn't even hung over; his head was just killing him. Today was not going to go well.

As he rolled over he fell onto the floor. "Crap," he muttered.

When he came over last night Thalia had taken over his bedroom. Honestly he should have seen it coming – Jason probably expected Percy to not come home. So Percy had to crash on his own couch. His legs barely fit in the entire thing. If that wasn't the worst thing that could happen to him, he was now lying on the floor looking up at the ceiling.

"Good morning sleepy head!" Thalia seemed awfully chirpy in the morning. She was usually not a morning person.

Percy groaned. He stared at the couch after he had pushed himself up to sit. "What is wrong with the world?"

"If only I knew." Thalia murmured. "How long were you out tomorrow? It's almost noon you know."

Oh no. Percy was late. This would be the third time this week he was late. Today was definitely not going to go well. He rushed into his bedroom. Quickly he threw on something. Did it even matter if he went today? His shift was going to end in an hour anyway. He looked at his phone. There were around ten missed calls from his boss.

He rushed out of the apartment without saying anything to Thalia.

The pool where he taught swimming was fifteen minutes away from here. If he pushed himself he could probably run there in ten minutes. He just hoped he would get off easy. Ever since that call things had taken a rough turn.

Most of the nights he would end up in the bar and be late to his job in the morning. He was supposed to tutor a twelve year old on swimming but he barely showed up on time. He really could not afford to lose this customer.

No one really wanted to learn how to swim these days. His mother always told him that learning how to swim and learning how to drive were two essentials of life. Not that he listened to anything his mother had to say.

Soon he reached the swimming pool. He burst into his boss's office ready to apologize for screwing up yet again. His boss, Mr. Rogers, already had someone in the office. Now he had two things to apologize for. "Man, look I'm so sorry I forgot to set an alarm and…"

Mr. Rogers stared at Percy for a long minute. "Excuse me, Jones." He motioned the boy sitting uncomfortably to leave. Jones seemed glad to have the opportunity to get out of here. There was something heavy about the air.

Mr. Rogers motioned for Percy to take a seat. "I'm really sorry Mr. Rogers. This wouldn't be happening in the future I promise." Percy rambled on.

"Look these were the promises you made the last time you were late." The blonde man uttered. "I can be lenient if you're late once but it seems like it's becoming a habit of yours." Percy started to apologize again but Mr. Rogers held up his hand. "I'm extremely sorry Mr. Jackson."

No, no, no, no, no. This would be a horrible time for this to happen.

"You're fired."

Fuck.

_A/N: something about this chapter feels weird. I let out a lot of secrets about Annabeth's past but Percy's past is still a mystery. It should play a big role in the future._


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4_

Percy walked out of the swimming pool complex feeling dazed. He must have been an extremely horrible person to deserve all this.

Of course he knew Mr. Rogers was a strict person. But to Percy this felt terribly unfair. He still remembered how hard he had to work to get this job. The pay was brilliant. Working here had allowed him to leave his past behind.

What was he to do now?

The correct answer would be to go look for a job; anything that would help him pay the rent and keep him out of the streets.

But right now all he wanted was to go to the bar. Maybe the bartender's sister would not be there right now to ruin his day and he could finally drink in peace. "Who drinks at twelve in the noon?" He asked himself out loud.

So he went home. He couldn't hide the look of misery that was on his face. And as soon as he entered Jason asked what was going on with him. "I got fired." Percy mumbled. He made a beeline straight towards the fridge. There was only one beer. Thalia must have finished the rest. He would have to end up going to the bar later tonight.

Jason looked at Percy pensively. To him it wasn't a surprise that Percy got fired. Mr. Rogers was a disciplined man. It had taken him by surprise when Percy wasn't fired after the first day of getting late. Right now that wasn't something he should be focusing on. Something was up with Percy the last couple of days. Thalia had left this morning so there is no reason why Percy shouldn't tell him.

"Perce, man, what's going on with you?" Jason's eyes softened. Thalia would sometimes talk about how messed up Percy's life was but she would never disclose anything. Every time Jason asked Thalia would smack him on the head and told him it was not his business.

Percy groaned. "I just told you. I got fired."

"No, that's not it." Jason sat up straighter. "The last couple of days you've been acting really bizarre."

Percy sat down. Of course Jason would notice it. Nothing seemed to pass by him. How was he going to tell Jason that a text message had crippled him? Percy sighed. "It's nothing Jace. Stop worrying about it."

Jason frowned. Percy knew he didn't believe him but for the moment he let it go. So Percy drank his beer in peace and Jason looked at the wall with a scrutinizing expression. The silence felt unbearable. "Hey man… what's up with you?" Percy asked after a while of uncomfortable silence. Jason glanced at him with a lost expression so Percy had to repeat the question.

"I texted Piper!" Jason had broken out of his reverie and gotten back to how he usually is. "She is such an amazing girl, you have no idea." If heart eyes were a real thing, Jason would be that right now. Percy laughed to himself.

"When are you guys going out on a date?" Percy questioned.

"I don't think she likes me enough to go out on a date." Jason mumbled so quietly that Percy almost didn't hear him.

"Bro, have you seen yourself?" Percy widened his eyes. "If I was a girl I'd be all over you."

Jason guffawed. "You're already all over me."

"You bet." Percy winked and both of them started laughing again.

After a while they both sobered up. Jason's cold seemed to have gotten better; he only sniffled occasionally now. "Piper told me to go to the café tomorrow after my class."

Of course Percy knew it was only a matter of time before Piper and Jason began dating. This was the first step. "I'm happy for you man." Percy clapped Jason on the back. After everything Jason had been through he deserved a break. Piper didn't seem like the girl who would stomp on people's heart. Percy's face darkened; if she did she would have to face me.

"It's just… I don't know. It seems too good to be true." Jason's insecurity was crawling back up again.

"You know it's not." Percy reassured him. He wanted to say something more. But he himself was constantly drowning in self doubt. He sighed.

Jason soon launched on how Thalia was. She joined a girls' only group – Artemis' Hunters. They protected endangered animals. There was no similarity with the girl Percy knew and the woman Thalia turned out to be. But it was all for the best. Thalia sounded happy. "So I'm going to volunteer for Artemis' Hunters." Jason finished.

"Isn't it only a girls' only group?" Percy frowned.

"Yes, but they are always looking for volunteers. In a couple of months they're going on a campaign to aware people about endangered species and how we can save them. Maybe you should sign up." Jason finished rambling.

Percy chuckled. "I would love to sign up man but first I really need a job."

Jason seemed to have gotten back to reality. "I'm really sorry." Jason had that pitying look on his face; but he quickly smoothed it out. "Tomorrow we'd send out resumes everywhere."

"Thanks man." Percy got up. "I'm going to head to the bar, you want to come with?"

"Yes, why not? It's a bit early though," Jason barely went to the bar with Percy. In fact, Jason barely drank. Sometimes Percy bordered on alcoholic and sometimes he was as clean as an eleven year old child. Although he wasn't that clean as an eleven year old; if memories served him right.

The bar was almost empty in the afternoon. People usually flooded in here after evening. Percy was glad for the peace and quiet. He could finally drink in peace. Even the bartender's sister wasn't here. Things might be looking up for him after all.

It was tragic that he thought things were looking up for when he managed to drink in peace. But he kept that thought to himself. Instead he turned around to look at Jason, "You should head back home soon. You have a class early in the morning."

Jason grumbled, "You're not my mother dude." After a while of quiet contemplation, "You are right. How will you come back home?"

Percy waved at his friend. "I know how to walk Jason. Now shoo."

Hours later, Percy could barely think straight. That was how drunk he liked to be. He could drown out the thoughts that haunted him. Nico – the bartender – was telling him something. "You need to go home." Nico finally shouted in front of his face.

"Hngh… why?" Percy slurred.

"Listen man," Nico whispered to him. "You're cut off. You can wait till I close the bar down so I can drop you home. Or do you want me to call that roommate of yours?"

Percy didn't say anything. Instead he let out a giggle. Nico scowled at the man in front of him. Usually he just kicked the drunks out of his party so they could throw up on the streets. But Percy was different. He had always treated Nico with a strange kindness. Most people tended to shy away from him because of his… eccentrics. "Fine just wait here until I close the bar down." Nico gave in. Percy's mirthful eyes dulled for a moment and Nico's heart sank.

Damn it. He hated feeling like this.

He hated feeling like he was bound to Percy. He wanted to turn away and serve the balding fat man on the other side of the bar. Yet he couldn't do it. He leaned in to hear what Percy was mumbling. "I ne-need to call her…" There was a long pause, "back."

Percy slammed his hand on the counter. Did he break a bone or something? Nico wondered. Oh no he's fine. After that random bout of sadness Percy went back to his usual cheery self. Nico sighed. It seemed to him that Percy put on a mask even when the man was drunk. But that wasn't Nico's business. They all put on masks to hide some deep secret.

Nico went back to bartending. Most of the people who came by tonight were regulars. This was a weeknight; the only times Nico had a hard time dealing with the amount of people were the weekends. He had to stop so many bar-fights he sometimes wondered if he needed to hire security. Some day he was going to meet someone who wasn't intimated by Nico's getup. Then he wouldn't be able to scare them away from the bar.

That was another day's problem.

Today's problem was that Percy wasn't present where Nico left him.

Maybe he went to the bathroom, Nico naively hoped.

That wasn't the case. Percy had decided to walk out of the bar in his drunken state. He really didn't want to be a hassle. He wasn't even that drunk! Surely he could walk home. Percy stumbled out of the bar. His vision was extremely blurry.

He still trudged forward. First put you left leg in front of you and then your right leg.

Walking is easy.

That was until he crashed into something yellow.

"Walking is not easy!" Percy muttered. He rubbed at his forehead; he could see a bit better after he crashed into the yellow object.

The yellow object wasn't an object at all.

It was a person. A person who was glaring at him with all the wrath she could muster, "I am getting serious déjà vu right now." Percy muttered.

"Of course you are." The girl looked exasperated. She was really pretty, Percy noted. "You crashed into me yesterday too."

She observed him for a minute. "You were certainly less drunk yesterday."

Percy was trying to get up from the ground. He kept falling down. He did not like that he could not stand up to see how pretty this girl was. Finally the girl offered her his hand. Percy took it and stood up. For a while he managed to stand up straight but he fell down again.

This time he didn't bother getting up. "Maybe I did drink a bit too much." Percy realized.

"No shit, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth had her hands on her hips.

She was contemplating whether or not she should help him. Of course she wasn't going to leave a drunken man in the middle of the streets. "Where do you live?" Maybe she could get him in a cab.

Percy frowned. He almost looked childlike, Annabeth thought to herself. "I… don't know." He finally admitted.

"How can you not know where you live dude?" Annabeth raised her hands up in frustration. "Okay tell me which bar you came from."

Percy looked at her sheepishly. "I don't know that either."

Annabeth tugged at her hair. This was going to be hard. Maybe she could drop him off in front of a motel or something. No, that would be just cruelty. People would rob him and he wouldn't even have any idea. The only logical option Annabeth could find was taking him to her home. What if he tried to do something to her in the morning? Annabeth chided herself. She knew how to defend herself.

She should lend a hand to this man who just crashed into her life. Quite literally.

_A/N: please check out my latest fic, _All I See Is You._ It's a cheesy high school fic of Dramione._

_Thanks to everyone who reviewed. You have no idea what that means to me. _

_If you guys have any suggestions to what I should do next, please leave a review!_


End file.
